Keep travel luxurious for all

MANY would agree travel is a beneficial luxury providing recreation, relaxation, connection and education. Monitoring visitation across the world and locally, impacts can be the opposite, disrupting community, eroding amenity and the environment and costing far more than is spent. When the impacts outnumber the inputs, it is time to call for “user-pays”. The cost of providing for visitors eats into regular budgets and community development at all levels of Tasmanian government.

There are many other cities that have an airport levy and have done for some time. Kuala Lumpur recently introduced a variable departure tax aimed at encouraging domestic tourism. The median charge is about $25AUD. It’s time for a port tax in Tasmania, air and sea. Let’s call it the toilet paper tax, acknowledging all visitors contribute to the flush of public funds.

Bronwen Puleston-Jones South Hobart

Why leave Tassie?

CONGRATULATIONS to all the gold winners at the Tasmanian Tourism Awards. Even if you were not a winner, you still are providing a winning experience to visitors. The winners’ list is a who’s who of the state’s world-class tourism operators, who are doing Tassie proud in their endeavours to provide the optimum experience to visitors and locals.

These experiences encourage visitors to come back again and again and promote their experiences to family and friends, encouraging visitation. I noticed Launceston has been voted as one of the top destinations in the world. Why would anyone leave Tassie for a holiday when we have the best of everything in our own backyard? Look out national awards, here come the Tassies.

Alan Leitch Austins Kerry

Check these out first

I FIND it quite amazing the Government while pushing large-scale tourism increases has not travelled to places like the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand, in particular, Maya Bay, Boracay, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh to look at the effects on environment and infrastructure. Locals have not benefited, in fact it has been to the detriment of locals, with jobs going to overseas workers, cost of living increases and income leaving the country.

Chairlifts, encouraging cruise liners and international airports will ruin what Tasmania is unique for and why tourists go to the state. Please look up zero-dollar tourism, because that's what will happen. Sometimes growth is not a good thing.

Dave Campbell Hong Kong

Circular Wellington road

IT would appear the State Government and Tourism Tasmania push for tourists at any cost has caused a bit of a hiccup on Mt Wellington. One could readily agree the road was not made for large tourist buses. Simple, ban the buses, cars only for safety reasons. With a bit of vision it could be turned around. By taking advantage of the fire trail from Fern Tree to the left hand part of the mountain, to Cathedral Rock or a bit further, a road could curl around the mountain and climb back to the summit. A one-way circular road system could be established. A tourist stop (big carpark) opposite Cathedral Rock would be a must. It could have a coffee shop and lookout and a stairway leading down to an arched pedestrian walkway across the mountain rivulet to a stairway climbing to a lookout on top of Cathedral Rock.

There may be the opportunity for other lookouts, perhaps on Sleeping Beauty. A circular one way road system would not only be safe but a boon to tourism and would create an iconic, spectacular adventure, something Hobartians could be especially proud of. A snow plough in winter could keep the road open.

Gary Gillies Geilston Bay

Derwent rail wonder

A MATE of mine has just returned from a cruise around Australia. They stopped off at Cairns and took a cable car to Kuranda which was exciting. They decided to come back down by train, it was quite a slow trip. He asked me, “Why don’t they have trains running up the Derwent Valley to National Park”? A good question. The Derwent Valley has scenery that has to be seen to be believed. I have travelled this line in many seasons and the scenery is magnificent. Come on Will get your tourism manager into gear and do something about it.

R. Wakefield Claremont